Lexus Canada
“A German hot rod; from Japan?” (CAR AND DRIVER), and “Hey Hans, here come those guys from Japan, again!” (MOTOR TREND)

Case History
The Q Group has created and produced the Lexus brochures for the past seven model years. In a letter written just after the 2003 model year books were delivered, Larry Hutchinson, National Manager - Lexus, thanked "Everyone within your organization [The Q Group] for the dedication and commitment to excellence that you have shown throughout the past seven years".

Early on in our relationship with Lexus, a concern was expressed that the lines between various luxury vehicles and marques were starting to blur. Almost like “parity products” within a specialized niche. As one Lexus executive put it, “People expect all luxury cars to have excellent brakes and engines and interiors and such – what can we tell them about us that will make us seem better?”

The qualitative research we conducted to answer this important question confirmed a nagging suspicion: Lexus was not yet viewed in quite the same league as BMW and Mercedes Benz. We had a lot of ground to make up.

We said that attacking BMW on its high ground would be futile; its younger clients were loyalists and the fort seemingly impregnable. For the very status conscious, there was no substitute for a Mercedes-Benz. What emerged clearly was that the Lexus audience was characterized more by a mindset than specific demographic characteristics. We took that learning to heart and addressed it in the creative.

Simple, yet colourful, narrative copy gave readers specific information they could use to make an informed decision. We made a virtue of each model having its own appearance (rather than a family look) and positioned them as being vital cars. The cars were shown as large as possible on the spread; extreme close-ups were used to show the impeccable attention to detail paid by Lexus engineers.

Believing they provided credible objectivity, we used quotes from respected car publications such as MOTOR TREND and CAR AND DRIVER. In subsequent research consumers told us time and again that this impressed and persuaded them. Customers believe the third party endorsement is more credible and convincing than “the mere corporate fluff words you often find in these kinds of things”.

When Lexus celebrated its tenth year in Canada, we produced a coffee table type book as the brochure. Customer and prospect response to the brochures:

“Wow! I love cars and read a lot about them and I’ve never seen anything quite like this before. It’s awesome!” – Porsche owner

“I hadn’t realized that a Lexus was a real luxury car until I saw this [the brochure]. I think I’ll check ‘em out.” – Mercedes-Benz owner

“It sure makes a statement about who they are and where they’re going.” – Mercedes owner

“It says that Lexus is finally ready to play with the big boys.” – BMW owner

“It makes me feel proud to own a Lexus.” – ES 300 owner

“I got the car because I like the way it looks. Now I feel like it was a really smart decision, too. I’m glad I saw the brochure.” – RX 300 owner

“I get my wife a new 4 x 4 every year, but I never looked at a Lexus. I always thought they were a pseudo luxury car – you know, a ‘luxury’ car for people who can’t afford a real luxury car. I guess I was wrong.” – owns a Porsche, a Mercedes convertible, a VW bug and a Nissan Pathfinder.

As one Lexus executive put it, “we couldn’t have asked for better books or comments”.